The 2008 Wimbledon Book Festival is celebrating the centenary of the birth of
Ian Fleming. Your book club may be interested in devoting a session to this fascinating man whose life was almost as adventurous as that of his famous creation
James Bond.
Some suggestions:
1)
Read one of the classic novels like
Casino Royale or
Moonraker. If it is your first time reading Fleming did the book meet your expectations? What do you think of the author’s style? How does he get and keep your attention?
2)
Compare the novels to the
films. Do the films differ significantly from the novels? Are they as good as the books? Better? Or not as good? Have a DVD player ready to show a clip from a film and compare it to the same section in the novel.
3)
How does Ian Fleming stack up against other classic authors of the spy genre like
Tom Clancy or
Len Deighton? What makes spy fiction so captivating?
4)
What do critics think of Fleming? Take a look at what
Christopher Hitchens and
Geoffrey Wheatcroft have to say and discuss whether you agree with them. What do you think accounts for the enduring popularity of James Bond?
5)
Check out the new Bond novel by Sebastian Faulks
Devil May Care . Do you think Faulks has captured the spirit of Fleming’s style? The Young Bond series by
Charlie Higson is bringing the legend of Bond to a new generation of readers. How do you think they compare to the Fleming’s works?
Be sure to look into the Fleming centenary related events at the Wimbledon Book Festival. The Festival opens with the Bond Gala Dinner on Saturday 4 October at the Wimbledon Park Golf Club. On Sunday 12 October Charlie Higson’s will be speaking about his Young Bond novels at the Polka Theatre. For more details about both of these events please go to the Book Festival web site.
Author and illustrator Judith Kerr and the Wimbledon Book Festival are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the publication of The Tiger Who Came to Tea. In addition to that much loved children’s book, Kerr has written the popular series of seventeen books featuring Mog the cat and a semi-autobiographical trilogy of her childhood in Nazi Germany , France, and the UK.
Book clubs devoting a session to the work of Judith Kerr could do the following:
1) Read The Tiger Who Came to Tea and discuss its enduring popularity. Why do children like it as much as they do? Do adults like it for the same reasons? Your group might consider inviting some small children to this session –making it an intergenerational book club for a session. Read the book aloud, get the children talking about it, and have some “tiger-themed” snacks.
2) Concentrate on the Mog books—once again inviting small children to the gathering. Ask people to bring their favourite Mog book and be prepared to read parts of it aloud. What makes these books so enchanting? What are some other captivating cats in children’s literature? Read this
interview with Kerr.
3) Read the trilogy: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Bombs on Aunt Dainty, and A Small Person Far Away. These semi-autobiographical books tell the story of Anna whose family fled the Nazis and settled in London. Why do you think Kerr chose to make these stories “semi” autobiographical rather than directly so? Do you find Anna’s story compelling? Is the child’s perspective convincing? Compare this to other wartime memoirs you may have read e.g. The Diary of Anne Frank. What themes emerge—what do the children concentrate on during wartime?
See Judith Kerr in conversation with playwright David Wood on Monday 6 October at Cannizaro House. See the Wimbledon Book Festival website for more details.
If your book club wants to discuss Maggie O’Farrell:
1)
Go to the author’s
website and download the reading guide questions provided for each novel.
2)
Read her latest
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and compare it to one of the novels O’Farrell herself suggests as complementary e.g.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman or Sylvia Plath’s
The Bell Jar. Discuss the similarities and differences between the novels. O’Farrell has said that one of her great, enduring influences is Charlotte Bronte. Can you detect that influence in her novels?
3)
Critic Susan Tranter says
here that O’Farrell’s work though about love, loss, and relationship ‘probes more deeply than chick-lit.’ Do you agree? What aspect of O’Farrell’s work is Tranter responding to? What is ‘chick-lit’?
4)
Listen to Maggie O’Farrell talk about the process of writing on Radio Three
here.
Join Maggie O’ Farrell for a discussion of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox on Tuesday 7 October at Wimbledon High School. For details go to the Festival website.
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Would your Book Club welcome a forum for exchanging ideas and views on books, authors and any other related book club topics?
It could, for example, cover subjects such as:
· How do you choose your members
· How do you choose your books
· How often do you meet
· Are you meetings themed
· How many people are in your group
· How do you structure your meetings
If the response is sufficiently good we are proposing to use the Bookfest website to start a Book Club notice board/meeting room.
If this is something that appeals to you, you have some computer expertise, a little bit of time and are happy to co-ordinate this new venture get in touch with me at susan.archer@wimbledonbookfest.org.